A place for LGBTQ spirituality and the arts. Home of the gay Jesus and queer saints. Uniting body, mind and spirit. Open to all.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Creative signs stop hate at protests

“Who would Jesus discrimin8 - Overturn Prop 8” was one of the many creative signs carried today as protests were held simultaneously in every U.S. state.
JesusInLove.org was among the more than 500 protesters at Pasadena City Hall in California. I took photos of many protestors and their signs. Those with religious themes are especially suitable for this blog, but I’m also posting some others that are too good to be missed.
Visit the Jesus in Love YouTube page to our videos of the event.
Join the Impact has more info on the protests and the movement to promote love and equality.
“The Bible is not a weapon of hate.” Thanks to this protestor for getting at how homophobes abuse the Bible to stop same-sex marriage.
I love the rainbow signs held by these three black women: “I won’t until you can.” “Separate is not equal” and Love is for all.”
St. Augustine’s words are used to support same-sex marriage. The sign quotes him as saying, “An unjust law is no law at all.”
“Mormons want 3 wives -- but I can’t have 1 husband! Get a grip!” Clever jab at the Mormon Church, which funded much of the latest campaign to ban same-sex marriage.
This protestor’s shirt reads, “Marriage is a human right, not a heterosexual privilege.” She was wheeled to the protest in a wheelchair by her daughter.
Even dogs want to "Stop the H8" as it says on the collar of this Great Dane who attended the protest.
Many kids were at the protest, including this mother-and-child pair with a sign saying, “2 mommies can raise a president.” I can hardly wait for that election!
“Support love. Stop H8”
“Love not H8.” That about sums it up.

St. Brianstine is confused about why the supporters of Proposition 8are called haters. To those who are straight or fundamentalist Christian, it can be confusing to be called this.

Equality is a very confusing thing, and straight people don't often see themselves as the oppressors of minority groups, or the dominators of the law.

Majorities don't grant minorities civil rights. This is a hard fought battle, and most significant civil rights legislation does go through the courts. Think Brown vs. the Board of Education.

Marriage redefined? Well, yes, throughout history, marriage has changed radically. Once upon a time (up until 1975) it was perfectly legal for a husband to rape his wife. Rape in marriage was not considered a crime back then.

Men once owned women like property in marriage. Women of the 19th century had no legal rights to their own property once they were married.

So marriage for straight women has been radically changed over the past 100 years or so. Men fought tooth and nail against these changes. Male christian ministers of that day adamently oppossed women's right to vote, the right of women to their own property, and they opposed the abolition of slavery as well.

Heterosexuality is an orientation not a behavior, and so is homosexuality. The majority of the people in the world are heterosexual, and for the most part, they have never really had much conscious contact with homosexual people. If you are over the age of 50, a white straight male and a conservative, there are a lot of people who avoid you or who are in the closet around you. Chances are you believe you are ordained by God to tell everyone else what to think and do. You feel entitled to control marriage and the world.

It's a radical thing to think of gays and lesbians as a unique people. Once upon a time, it was impossible for a woman to speak in a church or even get a degree in theology in America. Women were told that the Bible said they couldn't speak in churches, even though it was women who first preached the good news of Jesus' resurrection from the dead. Women were loyal to Jesus at the cross, while men fled in terror. Think of Peter and roosters crowing, yet somehow he got to be the first Pope.

Brown vs. the Board of Education stated that blacks and whites were not separate and equal. The Supreme Court had to desegregate the nation's schools. Black oppression was not ended by popular vote, it was about legal court battles.

No majority ever, out of the goodness of its own heart, ever liberates an oppressed people. It doesn't happen. Kings once thought themselves divine, and could rule with cruelty. George Washington presented a new view of leadership.

It will take some time for straight people to really understand what gay or lesbian marriage is all about. We often shock fundamenalist Christians, because they just don't really know us. Like the black church that formed as a reaction to white racism, gay churches have sprung up all over the world to serve the spiritual needs of gays and lesbians. We have created seminaries and have trained our own leadership, because we were treated as outcasts by the very people who called themselves Christians.

This website serves gay and lesbian Christians, and presents new images of Christ. We are an activist as well as a spiritual people.

I think heterosexuals think they have the right to control the definition of marriage, just as white people once viewed blacks as less than human.

There are many resources out there for straight white men to get some real education. It will be a challenge to you, because you believe god ordained you to dominate and control religion.

Jesus had a different message. Everything he ever did was about freeing the oppressed, and creating equality. He viewed everyone as a child of god, and he preached love. He didn't advocate the domination of women, the stoning of prostitutes or the abuse of gays and lesbians, who by the way, are in the Bible.

So I hope this answers the question of why gays and lesbians choose to say who they are, and why we have a perfect right to have our relationships protected by law as well.

Straight conservatives are hateful and cruel to gays. They preach venom and hatred against gay people all the time on right wing radio. They seem to not understand that Jesus stood for the oppressed and marginalized, and I believe he would be right on the forefront of the gay marriage debate today. He'd be voting YES TO LOVE, he would have abhorred the vicious lies against gays and lesbians that are common place in right wing circles.

Marriage is about constant change all throughout history. It is not a static thing. It has a history, just like every other institution. We tend to think that marriage has been the same from the beginning of time. This is historic ignorance.

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About me

Kittredge Cherry is a lesbian Christian author and art historian. She founded Jesus In Love in 2005 to support LGBT spirituality and the arts. She was ordained by Metropolitan Community Churches, an LGBT-affirming Christian denomination, and served as its National Ecumenical Officer.

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Jesus in Love supports lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer (LGBTQ) spirituality, with an emphasis on art and literature. It promotes artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is based on these beliefs: God loves all people, including sexual minorities. The creative process is sacred. The queer visions, especially the gay Jesus and LGBT saints, will free people to experience the divine in new ways and lead to a more just world. Jesus in Love was founded by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry as her personal project.It is her gift to the world. Many thanks to everyone who supports her vision.

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